Michelin CrossClimate 2

[akbarirfan]

Hi All,
Living up North, we experience some significant snowfall as far as the UK is concerned.

I have a set of 16 inch winter wheels and tyres however these don't fit over R32 brakes that I would like!!

Is anybody running Michelin CrossClimate 2? Pretty much been GYEF1 exclusive for the last 8 years.

Thanks

[bobby_fodge]

Had a pair of the originals on the front of the golf. In the summer I put them on the back and moves the PS4 to the front.

They are meant to be better than summer tyres when it's under 7 degrees, the two winters I had them were short so not sure they were that much use to me.

We had a set of four on the second car and they were fine the whole year around. It was only a one litre so not a good comparision for your golf.

[akbarirfan]

We had a set of four on the second car and they were fine the whole year around. It was only a one litre so not a good comparision for your golf.

Than you for coming back to me.

Did you notice any difference on the second car? Apparently they wear very well (as in last over 30k miles!).

I'll be getting 4 for our second car once my current winters (on that car) are come off (April/May time).

[bobby_fodge]

Difficult to say really as the second car, a mighty Yaris, only covered a few thousand miles a year and we only had it three years.

When we got it, the Yaris, had brands of tyre I'd never heard of so swapping those for new Michelins was not a good basis for comparison.

When we did get rid of the car the tyre tread did look new though.

They wore well on the front of my mk5 though, I probably did 20k in them before I drove down the worlds biggest pothole and damaged the sidewall of one, so both fronts got replaced for PS4. I only did this as I'd noted it was hardly below 7 degrees for the two winters I ran them so decided against getting another pair of cross climates.

My understanding from reading up on proper winter tyres is that the tyre compound is much softer which means they work really well in the cold but wear quickly when it's not cold or cold. The cross climates have lots of extra sipes/slits in the tread to help with grip in the cold, rather than a much software compound than summer tyres.

[akbarirfan]

Thank you - the wear mirrors other reviews I've read.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy 5 seem to wear out quite quickly by comparison.

I wonder if there would be any real change is ride quality on the GTI if all 4 were swapped out for CC2s - the reviews are outstanding.

It was 2 degrees celcius up here this morning, won't get above 7 degrees for a few months now!

[OllieVRS]

Was running two Crossclimate 2s on my Octy's 18 inch wheels for a whole year - I found them to be quite loud on certain road surfaces and when I took all 4 wheels off noticeably heavier than the old Asym 2s I had on the back of the car (but that could've been down to wear of the asyms as the were quite old).

They're not great when compared to a sporty tire like the Asym 6s I replaced them with but they're pretty decent for grip in miserable conditions, e.g. rain, sleet or snow. If you actually need the car to get you from A to B in the event that it snows I would get them, but don't make the mistake of running them all year round like I did.

[Andy]

If you can afford it get winter tyres
Find in the summer or over a period of time the cross climate tyres peel at the edges

[akbarirfan]

Thanks all, I'll just stick with my 16 inch winter wheels then!

[GilesWoodward59]

A few recent online tyre tests have shown that Crossclimates aren’t great in standing water, particularly if combined with a bend (understeer risk) but seem to be the best in (relatively deep) snow. Have just purchased a set of Hankook Kinergy 4S2 which seem to be working well on cold / greasy / very wet Cotswolds roads & which are more likely to have slushy ice than significant snow later in winter. So far I have been impressed and they were significantly cheaper than the CrossClimates (even with the latter being on offer on black circles).

[GilesWoodward59]

Quick update on the Hankook Kinergy 4S2. Went out this morning in -4 degrees ice / snow /  slush and was impressed. Good traction, turning & braking capability including when I had to pull over onto drifts at the edge of the road to let oncoming cars past. Didn’t venture out to try them in the 6” deep drifts over the weekend but I didn’t buy them to go on a winter wonderland adventure!

[pudding]

The only major benefit of winter tyres I've experienced is superior braking on compacted snow and ice.  That is where you really notice the difference.  Traction and lateral grip were better than summer tyres, but not by as much as I'd hoped for!  You still have to tread carefully.

I've used all seasons once, on an old Alfa 147 I had years ago, and they were worse than summer tyres at pretty much everything    I think they were made by Kleber or something?

I would definitely use full winters again, or these days it's probably easier and cheaper to just work from home on icy days!